Pop
by Blueberryandhoney
Summary: Nick Wilde is a legend in the music industry. Or he was, once upon a time. He hasn't had a hit in years and there's a new star on the horizon ready to outshine him. Thankfully his new agent has a plan... but falling for her is not part of it.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story was written with help Cimar WildeHopps. Thank you, Cimar, for helping me hash out this idea. And to everyone who's reading, I hope you enjoy!

…

The lighting was dim enough to set the mood without hindering the eye sight of the bunnies. Their delicate hind paws, with brightly colored claws, stepped in well choreographed alignment with each other on the synthetic grass. Small, white lights twinkled as a light fog rolled in, softening the bright colors of the flowers surrounding the bunny dancers. With their skimpy sundresses and mischievous eyes, the energy around them was erotically charged enough to turn a saint into a sinner.

The atmosphere doubled when a fox todd danced onto the scene, his sleek, shirtless body and short shorts adding to the allure.

And when he sang…..

Well, there was a reason Mr. Fox was a sensation. His voice was enough to make bones melt like butter, his signature smirk was rumored to have caused hearts to stop, and he moved like he was wrapping the world around his finger. And the world was just grateful to have been noticed by him.

Yes, Mr. Fox was the definition of raw sex appeal. It helped him build his career and kept him at the top of the music food chain for nearly a decade. As Mr. Fox, Nick Wilde had everything a fox could hope for: cars, homes, vacations, males and females ready to satisfy his every whim.

Which is why he couldn't understand why the admittedly attractive bunny was trying to convince him he needed her as his new agent.

It was with no small satisfaction he kept his green eyes on the t.v. screen, watching the music video that launched his career. Nick remembered that day like it was yesterday. Two of his bunny dancers ended up fist fighting over who would sit next to him during the after party. Just thinking about them rolling on the ground made his grin grow.

"Well," the crisp voice of the grey doe at the other end of the couch cut through his thoughts. "Do we have a deal?"

Sighing, Nick reached for the remote and flicked the video off, before tossing it to the side. Turning his eyes to the bunny- Judy Hopps, was it?- his grin took on a mocking quality.

"Listen, Carrots," he began as he pushed himself up from the couch to pour himself a drink. "It's so sweet that you think I need your help. But I'm the biggest pop star this city has ever seen!" Judy raised her eyebrows as he shot a look over his shoulder from the wet bar. Re-corking his whiskey decanter, he strolled to stand in front of her, not bothering to readjust the house robe. A slight blush crept over her face at the sight of his boxers, making him feel bolder.

"There's an army of paparazzi and fans who wait outside where ever I am, who follow my every move. I was ducking a new stalker every week since before you were big enough to pull carrots. You're sitting in front of Zootopia's most beloved icon. I'm the king of this city's music industry, sweetheart. And long may I rule.

"But, if you're that desperate to have me, I can think of a few other things I'd like to do with a cute little bunny like you." The todd was oozing pure smug as her blush intensified. Nick brought his glass to his lips as he turned his back on her, making sure to flick her nose with his tail as he did so.

The doe's purple eyes narrowed briefly in anger, before she schooled herself and smiled. Standing as he took his place back on the other end of the couch, Judy brushed her suit off and buttoned her jacket.

"Correction," she retorted, Nick's ears perked in bored curiosity, "You WERE Zootopia's most beloved icon." A wave a satisfaction washed over her as the fox's face tensed in annoyance and his ears fell against his head. "Buuuut…. It's been three years since your last hit. That's a lifetime in this industry. Your last album was marked half off less than a month after it was released and hasn't even broken five thousand downloads on any music sharing platform. So, no, you're not the king any more.

"Because, while you've been lounging by your pool, blowing your fortune, and snuggling up to every hot little starlet that twitched their tail in your direction," moving to stand next to where he sat, Judy snatched the remote from the couch and flipped the t.v back on, "this guy's been making his way up charts."

Nick's jaw dropped open at what she put on. It was a live performance, the venue smaller but packed to the brim with cheering mammals. And on stage was a rather striking looking rabbit buck. Black stripes framed his face as he sang and moved for the crowd adoring him. And Nick found himself staring in shock at the young up and coming star.

"Well, well, well," came Judy's voice, laced with satisfied amusement, "Look at that. Snazzy dresser, great voice, sexy dance moves. Almost reminds me of a young… oh, gods, what was his name?" Her expression became confused as she snapped her fingers trying to remember. Nick looked over at her suspiciously as she met his gaze. "You know who I'm talking about. He was really famous but not so much any more? Oh, that's right! You." Green eyes widened in surprise but Judy just grinned again. "He reminds me of a YOUNGER, HOTTER version… of you."

Unable to stop himself, Nick shot to his feet with a snarl and pointed at the bunny on the t.v. "That dick will never-"

"But he is," Judy cut in, stepping closer to him. "And his fan base is growing by the day. Mammals are going back to record stores to buy his album and it's already the tenth most downloaded in his genre. Sorry, Wilde. There's a new king in town." Nick scoffed.

"But if you sign with me, I'll help you even the playing field. I can promise you, this town will never forget who the true king of pop is," Judy reached up and pulled the robe a bit straighter onto his shoulders, tightening the belt to cover him better, before stepping away. "Unless you're ok with being a has-been… Mr. Fox."

He could only watch as she turned from him and gathered her brief case. It was popped open and a stack of papers pulled free. Judy set the contract on the coffee table and walked, un-rushed, to the door. But before she left, she paused with her paw on the door knob.

"Oh," she said, smirking over at where Nick stood, "and you're going to want to refrain from calling me Carrots."

Before he could respond, she was gone, leaving Nick staring after her, still slack jawed. On t.v., the music came to a stop, catching his attention. The rabbit buck looked over his audience, a smile gracing his handsome muzzle as he caught his breath. Nick growled as he watched, noting the banner that starting running under the feed.

'Music Sensation Jack Savage Signs With Duke Weaselton of Weaselton Records.'


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: No, this was not Cimar's idea. This idea was mine. Cimar helped me articulate what I wanted and beta read everything. And, of course, he gave me lots of encouragement.

Thank you to everyone who read and commented. And another thanks to kt_valmiri for editing.

Those that couldn't stop themselves from leaving passive aggressive, snarky comments about the content of this story, please get help. All that rage can't be good for you.

Write your own damn story if you don't like mine.

…

Judy's head was beginning to ache. She had been with her new client for two weeks after negotiating terms. Their partnership was official and her first step was to get his creative juices flowing. It had been way too long since Nick had put out an album that was well received. So, naturally, she was eager to make headway.

Nick, on the other paw, was in no rush.

"I have a system, Carrots," he explained lazily, as he drifted in his pool, sun glasses perched on his nose and drink in his paw. "I can't create if I'm stressed. This is how I unwind."

He gave her a smirk when the sound of her thumping foot reached his ears.

"So, you've been trying to unwind for the last three years, is that right?" She rolled her eyes when he simply shrugged and settled back onto his pool float. Shrugging herself, Judy turned to walk back into his house. "Alright, unwind away. I'll just be watching Jack Savage's show sell out. I can't believe he has an interview Zoo-T.V. Entertainment. And with Skye Frost, no less! Amazing, someone as young as him already such a HUGE deal."

Her back was still turned when she heard splashing, knowing the todd was swimming as quickly as he could to follow her inside. Judy smiled as the dripping fox came up beside her, panting and irritated.

"Alright, alright, alright!" he groused, shaking out his fur. "I'll do it your way. What did you have in mind?"

Now inside the cool shade of the house, the bunny crossed over to the stack of records by Nick's stereo.

"First things first." Paws flicked through the selection before pausing on one. It was pulled from the others as she turned to face him. "You're going to sing three songs from this album. I'm going to record you and then we're going to listen to it."

Taking the record from her, Nick rolled his eyes at the sight of himself on the cover. "And what good's it going to do to re-sing my old stuff?"

"Because you and I both need to know what you sound like these days. I want to know I have something to work with or if you're so far gone I should just null and void the contract."

Green eyes narrowed on Judy as Nick's lips curled in annoyance. "What is it you're trying to say, fluff? You think I don't have it anymore? Oh, I got it! I got all of it and more, Carrots!"

Smiling sweetly at him, Judy pulled the album from his paws. "Then prove

it."

…

3 HOURS LATER

Nick's head was beginning to ache.

But he was victorious. His voice needed very little fixing, a flush of pleasure sweeping through him at the sight of the surprised bunny when he began to sing. And as much as he hated to admit it, it was a great exercise for his voice. He knew these notes so well, had sung them all over the world, to millions of mammals everywhere, that there was a comfort in doing it again.

Unfortunately, it didn't do everything Judy had hoped it would.

She wanted him to sing something familiar in hopes of sparking his creative side. Nick needed new material to write and sing about and there was only so much she could do. The words needed to come from him. He was the artist and if he didn't believe in what he was performing, there was no point in anything they were trying to do.

"Ok, we're going to try this one more time," Judy cajoled, sitting crossed legged on the carpet next to him.

Balls of paper littered the area around them and the fox looked up from where he was sprawled. Ideas were tossed around and eliminated after he had finished singing, nothing they were coming up with making the todd feel like he needed to write a song about it.

"Carrots," he whined, "I'm beat. Can we please take a break? I got nothin'." "Slick," she said in a voice Nick was starting know all too well.

It was her warning voice and somehow it made all the fur on his back and tail want to puff out. Trying to push back the not so unpleasant feeling, the todd gave her his best sad puppy eyes. With a groan, she nodded and stood up again.

"Fine. I'm going to order some food for us. My treat."

With a relieved sigh, Nick watched her leave the room, his eyes resting on her tail before he shook his head. Sitting up, he stretched his back out, rolling his neck and looking around his living room. Well, studio slash living room. When he bought the place, the first thing he did was outfit the room with sound equipment and instruments lining the wall. He would spend whole nights messing around and experimenting with them. Sometimes, the sun would be peeking over the horizon by the time he was done.

Those were some of his favorite times. Especially after being on the road for weeks or months on end, eating lousy food, having to make an appearance at every party, and being surrounded by mammals shouting at him, demanding his attention…

He pushed himself to his feet and walked to the wall, paws reaching out for the acoustic guitar on display.

Lifting it from its spot, he sat on the cushioned foot rest and positioned it. Closing his eyes as his fingers moved, Nick let himself get lost in his music, feeling like he was a kit again and the world was still his oyster.

…

Judy was trying to not be disappointed.

It wasn't fair to Nick to be disappointed. But she had been dreaming about Mr. Fox ever since she was in high school. His sexy grin, those sparkling eyes, that soft looking fur and bushy tail…. Judy didn't even realize she had needs until she saw his first video. He was one of the reasons why she got into the music business. After managing Bobby Catmull's career with amazing success, she was ready to take on another client.

So, when she heard Mr. Fox was looking for a new agent, she pulled out all the stops out to sway him. Figuring he would be a bit narcissistic, she made sure she had a backup plan if he tried to dismiss her: Jack Savage's growing career. But she didn't think Mr. Fox would be even half as unmotivated as he actually was.

After ordering a pizza for them, Judy closed her eyes and groaned.

"This is going to be harder than I thought," she muttered.

Her ears gave a slight twitch. Picking up on the barest hint of music, she smiled to herself and followed the sound.

He may have a bad case of writer's block, but at least he has great taste in tunes, she thought as she walked towards the room. But I've never heard this song before…

Judy stopped dead in her tracks when she reached the entrance. Nick sat on his footrest, guitar in his paws, eyes closed as he sang softly, head moving in time with the tempo he had set. Her heart fluttered as she watched Mr. Fox, THE Mr. Fox, the fox that had set her entire high school aflame, perform in a way she had no clue existed in him.

And he was…. incredible.

The final strums echoed around the room as the todd reopened his eyes. Nick spotted Judy watching him from the doorway and felt the inside of his ears grow hot.

"What are you doing?" she asked softly, her head tilted and ears perked towards him.

"Hey, fluff… I'm just, you know, blowing off steam…" he explained, clearing his throat as he continued to strum nervously.

"Where did you learn to play like that?" Judy asked as she crossed over to where he sat. "That was amazing!"

"Oh," suddenly shy, Nick looked away and paused. "My dad was a music teacher at ZSU. He preferred piano, but could play any instrument he put his mind to. Mom always said I inherited his talent."

"And I agree." The bunny grinned at the way the fox's ears flushed and flattened against his head. "How come I'm just now hearing about this? Why have you never added this to your music."

Nick shrugged and stopped his strumming, lowering his eyes to the instrument in his paws. "My last agent said it was bad for my image. That my fans came to see me dance and sing, not try to be the next Prance. So, I… just never went any further with it…" After a moment of silence, he looked up, surprised to see Judy crouched in front of him.

"What if we did?"

Confused, Nick gave her a weary look. "Did what?"

"Go further?" This time her own ears flushed and fell as Nick grinned at the double entendre. "With your music!" she exclaimed with a swat to his shoulder. Nick laughed as he dodged her.

"You said it, Fluff, not me!"

Laughing with him, Judy straightened and looked around the room. There were several different guitars and bass, banjos and drums, mandolins and even a violin. In the corner of the room, a grand piano sat in its polished glory. Every instrument was well cared for and showed signs of being used on a regular basis.

"You're not Mr. Fox anymore," Judy announced as she continued to look around the room. Nick huffed.

"Well, that's just mean…" he muttered. Judy spun around to look at him, a grin on her face and excited gleam in her eyes.

"No, Nick! You're not MR. Fox anymore. Now, you're THE Fox!" Nick's brow's wrinkled in confusion. The doe merely nodded her head in excitement. "Mr. Fox was amazing. He was a worldwide sensation who wowed his audience with his voice and sexy dance moves, right?" The todd nodded, ready for her to get on with it. "But, THE Fox will be a worldwide sensation who'll wow his audiences with not only his voice but the ability to out play Lion Zepplin! That's why you have writer's block, Nick! It's because you're bored! You're too talented to be just a body and voice! So, why not be more? Why not bring the world to its knees by showing off how talented you actually are? It's the perfect rebranding!"

"And Mr. Fox isn't part of this rebranding because…?"

"Because Mr. Fox isn't the direction music is going in these days!" Judy bounced over to the records. "Music needs to evolve. And there's no sense in bringing back Mr. Fox if he makes you bored. How will you sell the show? But what you were just playing? That! That is the direction we need to go in! It's authentic, it's classy, it's original, and it can be a hit."

"You… you really think so?"

Smiling at him, she nodded. "I do. And you're going to play it for me again. And after you're done, I want you to start playing anything else you have stored in that foxy brain of yours." Pulling her phone out of her back pocket, she unlocked it and pulled up her camera. Switching to video, it was pointed at the fox who was watching her with a mixture of fascination and trepidation.

"Now what are you doing?" he asked as she moved to get the perfect angle.

"Recording you." Judy flipped through her filters, choosing one that sepia toned everything. "Now when I point to you, start playing. Ok?"

With a reluctant nod, Nick repositioned the guitar on his lap. Looking back up at his agent, he waited nervously. Noticing how tense he was, the doe looked from her screen to him, giving him a reassuring smile. His ears trembled as they fought to stay up. And that was all it took for Judy's heart to flutter as her smile softened.

"You're amazing, Nick."

And it was enough to have him relax some and smile back.

…..

The video had been up for three weeks and already had ten thousand hits. And counting. Not to mention a swarm of comments praising the todd's skill, looks, and everything in between. Though, there were a few less than intelligent comments about Nick's resemblance to Mr. Fox and how The Fox was a rip off of the name.

But all in all, the reception to the new music video was mostly positive.

Positive enough to make Jack Savage's latest get knocked off the Top Ten Most Viewed from Zoo-T.V. The striped bunny watched the music video for the hundredth time, his jaw clenched so tight his teeth ached. His normally sparkling blue eyes were narrowed as the talented fox played the soulful song, his eyes penetrating through the screen.

"Don't lose fur over this, kit," came the nasally voice of his agent. "Wilde hasn't been relevant in the music world in years. And one music video does not a career save! The Fox is just threatened by you."

"Threatened?" Jack's ears perked towards the weasel next to him. "What do you mean?"

"What the hell do you think I mean?" Duke responded impatiently. "You're young, talented, attractive, and have the ability to knock Wilde off his pedestal. Soon, every mammal in this city is gonna be sayin', 'Mr. Fox, who?'"

The laptop was slapped closed, making the rabbit jump in surprise. Looking up, he watched the weasel snap his fingers impatiently.

"C'mon, c'mon, let's go! We ain't got all day!" A team of mammals who had been setting up the room suddenly surrounded the buck. A deer doe guided him to a reclining make up chair while his jacket was pulled off his shoulders. A white bunny doe finished setting up equipment for his fur and started to comb through it carefully. "What sort of outfits do we got for Jackie? I want him looking his best for his interview with that vixen. And if you think I'm paying extra for the scalp rub, tell Rochelle to shove it up her ass."

Jack's ears dropped as Duke's phone rang obnoxiously.

"What?" snarled the weasel as he answered. His eyes rolled as the mammal on the other end talked. "I don't care what it takes! Get it up! I want to make sure Wilde knows what he's getting himself into by posting that video! If that fox thinks he's going to knock Jack Savage off the charts, he has another thing comin'! That little whore he hired to be his agent has no clue who she's dealing with."

Duke hung up and turned his scowl towards the squirrel filing Jack claws. "And if you think using that gloss crap is gonna up your tip, you got another thing comin'!"

Jack gave a nervous chuckle as Duke left the room, scrolling through his phone and mumbling under his breath. Looking at the team taking care of him, the buck smiled awkwardly at their accusing looks.

"And that 'thing' is a tip four times larger than what you think it'll be!" Appeased, they carried on, Jack paying extra for his assistant to run interference with Duke. Once the style team had finished (and left with what Jack thought was a quarter of his bank account), he waited with his agent in the green room of the tv studio.

"Look," began Duke, still not looking at his client, "Skye Frost is like all females. Compliment her fur, talk up her 'skills' as reporter…" he snarked, complete with air quotes. "She'll be putty in your paws."

For some reason, the bunny wasn't put at ease. He loved Skye Frost's show. So, when her mammals called to request the interview, it had taken all of his dignity to not squeal from joy. And now he was sitting across from her, trying to not fawn like a school girl.

The beautiful Arctic vixen turned her sparkling blue eyes to the rabbit buck, a white paw extending towards him.

"Hi," she smiled sweetly at Jack, who felt his ears go red as he accepted her paw. "I'm-"

"Skye Frost," he gushed, grinning like an idiot at her as he shook her paw enthusiastically. "I'm a huge fan!"

With a pleased expression, the vixen grinned and enjoyed the warmth that flooded her veins at the contact. "Oh, thank you!"

Their paws stayed together for longer than needed, only falling away when the camera moose cleared his throat. In an instant, Skye turned to smile at the camera.

"Hello, Zootopia! Welcome back. I'm Skye and today I'm with Zootopia's hottest new star, Jack Savage. Welcome, Jack." Her smile felt more genuine as she turned back to him.

"It's good to be here, Skye."

"So, first things first, Jack, the question on everyone's mind…" Skye scooted forward in her seat, eyes glued on him. "…where do you get your material for your music?"

"Oh," he laughed and looked down. "Well, a lot of my inspiration comes from the world around me. Every song has been like a chapter of my life. Growing up and learning how to love. Moving away from home and finding myself."

"So, you must have had quite the love life," suggested Skye, an odd sense bitterness filling the pit of her stomach.

"Not really," Jack countered, holding her gaze and smiling. "Lots of heartbreak and the like."

"Oh," Skye gave a sympathetic look to him. "Poor thing!"

There was a moment where they just looked at each other, smiling until camera moose cleared his throat again. Skye hide her embarrassment beautifully.

"There are a few in the industry who say your style is reminiscent of Mr. Fox," she continued, looking down at her note cards. Jack channeled all of his discipline and didn't react. "What would you say to them?"

"I would have to say that I'm what Mr. Fox could have been had he stayed up to date with the times and not let himself fade out of relevance."

Skye's eyebrows rose in surprise at that. "So, what's your response to the video that was posted a couple days ago? And the free concerts he's been holding and public appearances?"

"Skye, those are gimmicks and attempts to stay relevant. He's threatened by a new artist on the scene and has realized that he no longer has a place in this industry." The rabbit grinned a her. "Jack Savage is the new star in this town."

"And your response to Nick Wilde's interview with Peter Moosebridge, where he said, and I quote, 'Jack Savage's music is precious and his lyrics one dimensional.'"

Never had there been such a loud roaring in Jack's ears. The camera moose's voice suddenly rang through the air as he shouted, "Cut!", sparing the buck from answering. The production lights dimmed, taking the heat off the pair for a moment as Skye's posture dropped, her look becoming apologetic.

"I'm sorry to end the interview on that note," she said as they slipped from their chairs. "Let me make it up to you. Maybe with a drink? Tonight, at say, seven thirty?"

"No can do, toots!" Duke strolled up, flicking through his phone. "We gotta hit up the studio and the rabbit needs to get a work out in before the night's over." His paw reached up to smack the underside of Jack's muzzle. "First thing tomorrow, you're dieting. I'm not spending energy on a fat client."

With a sigh of resignation, Jack watched as his agent turned and walked away, now screaming into his phone. Skye gave the weasel a poisonous look before looking over at the buck in sympathy. He simply shrugged.

"I gotta get get going…" he began with a hint of apology in his voice. She bit her lip and shook paws with him again. "It was… great meeting you."

"You, too. Maybe I'll see you around?"

"Oh, I know you will," Jack grinned and started to back away, eyes still on her.

"It's looking like now, Savage!" barked Duke. After glancing at him briefly, Jack gave her a final wave before following after his agent.

Catching up with Duke as he was hanging up his phone, the pair made their way to the street.

"And we got Fru Fru Big's party tomorrow night. There's a tux back at the studio I want you to wear."

"Oh, I didn't realize I got invited to that!" Jack felt pleased he was important enough to receive an invite to the social event of the year.

"Get used to it," came the distracted response as the car pulled up. "Expect invites to all of Zootopia's 'A List' events."

Sliding into the back, Jack felt his hopes rise. Though when he looked up and caught what was on the city center tv, irritation took over. That stupid music video, now at one hundred thousand views.

Don't get used to it, he thought with a frown.

…..

Nick fidgeted with his bow tie as the limo he was in glided to a halt. While the invitations may have slowed down, the fox was still familiar with flutter of butterflies that came with major public appearances. And Fru Fru Big's birthday party was THE social event of the year.

Fru Fru's father, Vincent Big, was the biggest entertainment mogul in Zootopia.

Having been an initial investor in several major movie companies, he was also credited with launching the careers of both Jerry Vole and Gazelle. Needless to say, the Arctic shrew turned his daughter's birthdays into lucrative business opportunities. Considering Fru Fru relished the attention and loved being surrounded by Zootopia's brightest stars, it was a win-win situation.

And having been on the guest list since the younger shrew was a teenager, Nick knew what to expect. Though, this was the first year he didn't have a date. He had been so wrapped up in making his new album, Nick hadn't even thought about the party until Judy had express cleaned his tux.

Judy…

There was something he felt he couldn't quite explain when it came to her… A sickness that rolled through him whenever he saw her or knew he was going to see her. An odd sort of sickness that made his heart beat faster and the pads of his paws sweaty. It made him feel way more vulnerable than he thought he could ever be.

She was by far the most attentive and thorough agent he had ever had. The doe pushed and moved him, sparking a creative flow he hadn't felt even at his peak as Mr. Fox. Adding in the fact that she knew how keep him on task (and not feel like rebelling against her)… That was an amazement in and of itself. And then there was the rebranding.

Everything about his rebranding was making him feel like a kit at a new school. But the results said it all. Judy had managed to do an early release for his new album on Zoogel Music and it was on its way to breaking records. Jack's album was nowhere close to where Nick's was.

Yes, Judy Hopps was something special and it was sparking all sorts of alien emotions inside him.

The door to the limo was opened, exposing him to the bright flashes of numerous cameras. Nick had to remember to smile amid shouts of "Mr. Fox! Mr. Fox! Look this way!", "Mr. Fox, your latest album is number seven on Zoogel Music! Do you think it can make it to number one?", and "Mr. Fox! What do you think of Jack's Savage's interview, calling your new music a desperate attempt to stay relevant?"

Oh, what he wouldn't give to be able to roll his eyes. Or growl at the goat who had asked that question. If it wasn't for the fact that Judy expected him to keep his cool and maintain his suave and collected image, he would have given in. If he was still Mr. Fox, who had been impulsive and self-indulgent, he would have.

Now, he was The Fox.

So, The Fox just smiled for the paparazzi and kept his mouth shut. In front of him was Gazelle, looking gorgeous as always as she gave him a grin over her shoulder. The pair shared a look, both old pros at the "Smile big!" game.

"Some things never change," he muttered, stepping over the threshold into the elegant party.

Everyone who was anyone was in attendance. Mayor Lionheart was rubbing elbows with ZNN's director Andy Lagopus. Nick exchanged smiles with his old friend, Camilla Palo, a famed baker, who was currently entertaining another new star in Zootopia, Ramic Taill. The kangaroo had made a name for himself as a professional organizer, something the elite of the city had jumped on. His new show was a hit on Pawflix with season two in the works.

One of the todd's favorite science fiction writers, Liam McIver, drew in an audience with another one his famous yarns, while his mate looked on with an amused smile. Luna was head editor of Zoo Zoo Magazine and head of the art board for Savanna Central's Museum of Modern Art. The wolf and lioness were favorites no matter where they went.

Luna turned to greet Erin Weaver, Zootopia's legendary artist, as the new wolf joined their conversation. Weaver's work had been largely credited to helping put Zootopia's art scene on the map. His work even graced the cover of many of McIver's books. Nick paused for a moment to wonder if Weaver would be willing to do his portrait.

Again, his eyes found Gazelle, who had joined her back up dancers in paying tribute to the host and birthday girl, something Nick decided to do as well.

Accepting a glass of champagne, the todd sipped it as he made his way to Mr. Big, Fru Fru, and her fiancé, Markus. But his steps faltered when he realized who Fru and Markus were speaking to.

It wasn't that she never looked good, or never dressed up. She always looked well dressed and professional. But Judy Hopps standing next to Fru Fru Big, wearing a tight mid-night blue dress with a plunging, sweetheart neckline and a hem that swung just above her knees, made it very clear what that sick feeling actually was.

It simultaneously made the breath leave his body and his mouth go dry.

Judy's happy smile and sparkling eyes left her friend to find his own resting on her. Embarrassed to realize he had been staring, Nick downed his glass of champagne before snatching two fresh flutes and continuing on to the Bigs.

"Well, well, well," he said by way of greeting, smiling at the two shrews surrounded by their polar bear entourage.

"Ah! Nicky! Welcome back into our home," Mr. Big beamed at the fox, extending his tiny paw for Nick to kiss. "I was so pleased when Fru Fru showed me your latest video. It makes me proud to see you utilizing your full talent. And the fact that you chose to sign with Miss Hopps shows you're smarter than you look."

"Daddy!" squealed Fru Fru, with a laugh in her voice. The birthday girl smiled up at the todd, who bent to gently kiss her cheek. "Thanks for coming, Nicky! It's so good to see you again."

"Happy birthday, Fru Fru." Nick straightened and turned towards Judy, not able to stop his gaze from traveling the length of her. "And look at you, Fluff… You look… Wow…"

Judy blushed and smiled with pleasure, oblivious to the knowing grins their hosts gave the pair.

"Thanks, Slick," her delicate paw accepted the extra glass of champagne he held out as she gave Fru a farewell and followed Nick further into the party. "Who knew you cleaned up so well. I almost didn't recognize you without your swim trunks and house robe."

Nick laughed as they clinked glasses. "Ooo, listen to that! Bunny's got jokes!" Judy laughed with him and gave him a hip bump. "I'll have you know, Carrots, this tux is an original Vera Fang. Designed it herself, just for me." He ran a paw down the jacket, looking down at the bunny as she sipped from her flute. Polishing off his own, he took her glass and placed both on the tray of a passing server. "And a tux this stylish and dress that flashy?" Judy smiled at him curiously as he took her paw. "They need to be shown off on the dance floor."

"Oh, Nick, I'm not much of a dancer…" Judy pulled back shyly, her smile falling slightly when the todd didn't let go of her.

"Not going to chicken out on me, are you?" Leading her onto the dance floor, he placed her left paw on his shoulder then dropped his own to rest on the curve of her hip. The doe gave a soft gasp, her eyes widening when he pulled her close and took her other paw in his free one. "That's not the Judy Hopps I know."

Her ears fell as they grew pink, her eyes falling to the floor briefly as they began to move. "I'm just going to embarrass you," she muttered.

Nick released her paw to gently grasp her chin, lifting her gaze to his. His eyes looked into hers with a tender passion she had only seen when he was playing his music. And she felt a shiver run down her spine when he moved his muzzle to her ear and whispered his response.

"You could never, ever embarrass me."

With that, he took her paw again and swept them away.

…..

Jack stepped into the party, lightly tugging at the white tux jacket Duke had insisted he wear. It wasn't really his style, preferring something more subtle. But the designer had given it to him as a gift and the buck didn't have the ability to say no.

Duke had left his side the second they had entered after thrusting a glass of wine into Jack's paw.

"Go mingle, kit. Make connections, rub elbows, all that shit." Duke snagged a glass of whiskey and downed it before tossing the empty glass back to the surprised server. "I got things to do!"

"Duke-" Jack groaned in frustration as his agent vanished, leaving the young rabbit alone in a room full of socialites. "Great…"

To make matters worse, he was dateless, something else Duke had insisted on. The weasel wanted to promote Jack's sex appeal and had warned that if the females of Zootopia thought they had a chance, his sales would sky rocket. Considering the amount of attention he'd gotten on the red carpet regarding his dating status, Jack was inclined to agree.

And it wasn't like he could ask Skye to attend the party with him. It was common knowledge she was always hired to be the publicity coordinator for this event. Her pictures would grace the covers of newspapers and magazines for weeks afterwards. Just knowing she would be here filled him with excitement.

After greeting his host and thanking the birthday girl for inviting him, Jack took advantage of the buffet. He would need to get an extra workout in (and hide from Duke), but it was worth it. Washing his forth zucchini fritter down with a fresh glass of wine, he had a good buzz going as he grinned around at the party.

Though his smile dropped at the sight of Nick Wilde, a.k.a Mr. Fox (pardon, THE Fox), enjoying a conversation with the mayor and his assistant.

That arrogant asshole.

Jack's teeth ground together as he thought back to what Skye Frost had mentioned earlier. Calling the buck's performances precious and his lyrics one dimensional.

One dimensional! What did that even mean?

Scoffing, Jack finished his drink and looked at the fox again as he grabbed another from a passing tray. And raised his eyebrows in interest. Mayor Lionheart and his assistant, Dawn, were talking animatedly to Wilde and his agent. And the gorgeous bunny was listening raptly. Wilde, however, was not.

The todd's eyes kept flicking back and forth from the mayor to Miss Hopps. Wilde was taking great pains in standing as close as possible to the doe. His tail moved to sweep along her ankles without actually making contact. Watching as the mayor and his assistant finally moved on to mingle with the rest of the party, Jack smirked as Miss Hopps smiled at the todd before she excused herself.

And Wilde watched her with obvious interest as she walked away and vanished into the crowd.

"Huh," Jack smiled to himself. "Isn't that interesting."

He was on the fence about the plan he came up with, but the mental image of his album being knocked off the top ten made up the buck's mind. The unfinished wine was set down as Jack pulled out a small bottle of breath spray. His blue eyes surveyed the room, pinpointing the doe as she was moving away from the restrooms. A quick glance back at Wilde showed the fox spotted her too, his body tensing in anticipation as his tail wagged slightly.

"Payback time," Jack said with a grin and moved quickly to intercept her halfway.

A paw reached out to grab some drinks from a tray.

Spotting Skye Frost with her camera at the ready and knowing the vixen would love the photo op, the buck came to a stop in front of Miss Hopps.

"Oh!" she said in surprise, just loud enough to catch Skye's attention. "Mr. Savage! I didn't know you were going to be here." Judy smiled uncertainly as she accepted the drink he offered. "Are you enjoying the party?"

"Oh, yes," Jack agreed with a charming smile. He stepped closer to the pretty bunny. "Much more, now that I'm talking to you."

She blushed and took a sip of her drink, obviously too polite and professional to just walk away from him. Glancing up, Jack watch as Skye drew closer to the pair. The vixen's eyes flashed with disappointment briefly, though it vanished when he winked at her and looked pointedly at her camera. And to his satisfaction, out of the corner of Jack's eye, he saw Wilde tensed with fury.

Oh, if you liked that, thought Jack, you're going to love this.

"So, what's a pretty bunny like you doing here all by your lonesome?" Leaning against the wall, Jack angled himself to make Skye's shot look as intimate as possible.

"Oh… Uh, I'm not really by myself," Miss Hopps gave him another strained smile as she started to move away from him. "I actually have someone who's waiting for me. So, if you'll excuse me, Mr. Savage."

As she moved almost completely away, Jack felt panic rise. Skye gave him a look of what seemed to be relief as she started to turn away as well. Even Nick seemed to relax, a smug look of triumph sparking in his eyes.

Sorry, beautiful, Jack thought as he looked into Skye's eyes and shrugged, I need this.

His paws shot out to grab Miss Hopps waist, her eyes widening in shock. Dragging her to him, Jack crushed their lips together, both drinks crashing to the floor. And through his disgust with himself, he felt some satisfaction when Skye's camera went off. Miss Hopps, however pulled away almost as quickly as he had dragged them together, her paws keeping him from closing the distance again.

"Sorry," he said with a shrug and guilty smile, his large ears picking up angry footsteps behind him.

The rabbit buck readied himself as Hopps' expression filled with indignant outrage, her mouth falling open to scold him, but his body was jerked away before she could say a word. A large paw had grabbed his forearm, tearing him away from Hopps and spinning him around. Jack came face to face with an angry todd, whose lips curled over his sharp teeth and green eyes narrowed on the buck. Skye's camera went crazy as it took picture after picture.

"Nick-" Hopps' voice was filled with a warning that the red fox didn't acknowledge.

Jack's satisfaction at riling him up was short lived as Wilde's fist made contact with the buck's cheek. With a grunt of pain, Jack went flying, the party pausing as he landed on the floor. His blue eyes squinted in pain and anger as he looked up at the todd. Miss Hopps placed herself in front of him, her paws on Wilde's shoulders.

Wilde, however, kept his snarling gaze on the buck on the floor. Who very soon became the buck flying through the air towards the fox who had punched him. With a furious cry, Jack landed on Wilde as the todd shoved Hopps out of the way. Jack's much smaller (but just as strong) fist made contact with the other singer and had him stumbling to the ground.

Skye gave a squeal of unbridled joy as she traded the camera for her phone.

"Nicholas!" cried Hopps. "Mr. Savage!"

But the pair ignored her, their fists flying as they growled and snarled at each other. And the crowd that had gathered did nothing but egg the pair on. Finally, a loud "That's enough!" cut through the two males' aggressive haze as a sharp pain shot through their ears.

Both gasped as Hopps' paws twisted their captured appendages, immobilizing the pair on the ground.

"You both are grown mammals!" The doe scolded. "This is not how grown mammals act!"

"Ow! Ow! OW!" both males cried as she tossed them in opposite directions on either side of her. Her beautiful purple eyes glared from the buck to the todd as they rubbed their sore ears and shot threatening looks at each other.

"Really, I can't believe you two!" Turning to Jack, she jabbed her finger into his chest, the buck looking properly abashed. "You! Who do you think you are? Just grabbing random does and kissing them without permission. You should be ashamed of yourself!"

A brown paw suddenly grabbed Hopps' wrist, the doe yelping in surprise and pain as she was jerked away from Jack.

"Watch it there, Flopsy!" said Duke, looking just as mean and furious as he could, his eyes bloodshot and breath reeking of alcohol. "You should be grateful my client is willing to even touch a little bunny bumpkin like you!"

Wilde sprang to his feet and snarled at the weasel, who let her go and backed away. Jack looked at his agent in shock.

"Listen here, Weaselton…!" Wilde threatened, Duke not even flinching as he glared at the fox. "If you ever touch her again, I'll-"

"You'll what, Wilde!" he spat back as Wilde pulled Hopps behind him. "What's a pathetic, washed up has-been like you going to do? Punch me? Like you're really going to take that chance! Now, excuse me while me and my client take your place on the Top One Hundred Billboard. Let's go, Savage!"

Jack was still on the ground as he watched Duke leave before a paw was extended down to him. Skye gave him a sad smile when he accepted her help and was pulled to his feet. Looking from her to the todd and doe who stood not too far from them, he shook his head. Realizing the party was still watching their every move, the trio cleared their throats and stared at the ground.

A soft measured clap caught their attention, a large polar bear parting the crowd with Mr. Big and his daughter in his paw. The shrews were smiling as they approached, their eyes shining with amusement.

"My children," said Mr. Big magnanimously, "that was by far the most entertaining display I have seen in many years. I give you my thanks for keeping this party lively! And speaking of lively, Raymond! Tell Miss Palo to bring out the cake!"

The other guests laughed along with shrew. Cries of delight echoed around as a large, beautiful birthday cake was wheeled out, the kit fox beaming with pride at the reaction.

Hopps looked at the cake, grateful for the distraction. Her eyes shot to Wilde, her anger very obvious, before she turned and vanished into the crowd. Wilde growled at Jack one last time before following after. The rabbit buck straightened his tux out before clearing his throat and looking at Skye again.

"I should…" he began, jerking his head in the direction Duke had left in.

"Yeah," she murmured in agreement. "It was great seeing you again, Mr. Savage."

"You know, I think after all of this, you can call me Jack."

Skye smiled at him as he left, before looking down at her phone. Pressing play, she re-watched what she'd recorded before pausing it again. With a sigh, knowing her career was going to be worth more this time tomorrow after the video was posted, the vixen went back to taking pictures of the party.

Because she was a professional. And nothing would distract her from that, not even attractive, famous, sexy bunny singers.

…..

A/N: Thank yous go to Cimar WildeHopps, ScaraMedn, kt_valmiri, and TheWyvernsWeaver for letting me use their Zoosonas. Much appreciated, everyone!

Cimar= Ramic Taill

ScaraMedn= Liam McIver

kt_valmiri= Luna

TheWyvernsWeaver= Erin Weaver


	3. Chapter 3

Judy was grateful most of the paparazzi had moved on after the party had started. Whomever was left over had their eyes on the main entrance, cameras ready to capture the latest hook ups. Thankfully, she had spent enough time with Fru Fru to know how to leave the mansion discreetly.

Sending a text the driver Mr. Big always insisted she use, she grabbed Nick's paw and dragged him to the car when it pulled up. Opening the door, she pointedly stood to the side, grinding her teeth as Nick took the hint and scrambled in. He winced as she slammed the door shut and stormed over to the other side.

Sliding into her seat and slamming her door shut, they fell into tense silence as they pulled away from the curb.

"Carrots-"

"Not until we get to your place."

Nick's heartbeat pounded in his ears as they drove from Tundra Town to the Rainforest district. Pulling up to his house, he barely remembered to thank Mr. Manchas as he climbed out and followed Judy to his front door. She waited for him to unlock and disarm his house with her arms crossed and eyes to the ground. Judy stormed past once he stepped aside, keeping her back to him as he lock the door behind him once they were both in. Dropping his keys onto the entry table, he looked at her as she set her purse and shawl on a chair in the living room.

"I can't believe your behavior tonight…." she began, looking over her shoulder at him.

Nick's eyes widened. "My behavior? What am I supposed to do when some random mammal just grabs you? Let it happen? That rabbit started it!"

She marched to where he stood and poked him in the chest. "You're suppose to let me handle it! Not grab one of the most recognized celebrities in the city and punch him! Not start a fight like a spoiled frat kid! You're almost thirty three, for gods sake, Nicholas Wilde!"

His large paw reached up to grasp hers, keeping it pinned to his chest. "Did you like it?"

Judy blinked in surprise. "What?"

"Him kissing you," Nick stepped closer until he was towering over her, his other paw moving to grasp her elbow. "Did you like it?"

Her eyes continued to stare at the fox for a moment, taking in his suspicious glare and heavy breathing.

"I think," Judy began carefully, looking from him to hide her blush and gently moving from his grasp, "that shouldn't be something you should be worrying about."

He didn't fight her when she tugged herself free from him completely, much to her relief. In attempt to keep the silence from crushing them both, she turned stride from the living room towards the master bedroom. The soft paw steps assured her Nick was following. Though the thought simultaneously thrilled and flustered her as she passed through to the adjoining bathroom. Flicking on the light, the doe opened the medicine cabinet and pulled a small bottle of lavender oil from it.

"Your focus right now shouldn't be on me," she lectured, moving to sit at the edge of the tub. The water was turned on and adjusted before the stopper was put in place. "Focus on our next event. That concert in the park is going to a big deal for you-"

"A big deal that I'm doing for free," Nick replied with a scoff from the bathroom doorway. Judy shot him a dark glare as the scent of lavender filled the now steaming air.

"Yes, for free. At first this was supposed to be a just another way to boost your name. Look at it now as damage control." She reached over to shut off the water and stood. Finally turning to face him fully, she put her paws on her hips and gave him her best stern look. "Your reputation is too fragile to have this stay in the media for any length of time. I have to call Mr. Big and find a way to convince him to get his guests to erase any and all pictures and videos of you and Savage's little 'He-Male' display. And you better hope he agrees.

"Meanwhile, I want you to take a bath and relax. Leave your tux on the hook and I'll get it dry cleaned in the morning. And I want you to turn in early. We have a busy day tomorrow."

Walking towards the bathroom door, she was stopped from leaving by a gentle paw on her waist. "Alone?" he asked softly.

Purple eyes narrowed in confusion. Nick smirked as he looked her up and down, before meeting her eyes again with a spark of something she was too afraid to name. Not that that kept her from recognizing and wanting it.

"You're going to make me bathe… alone?"

Pushing those thoughts away, Judy sighed and moved past him. "Maybe if the night had gone differently, and you had behaved… you would still be bathing alone, Slick."

Now it was her turn to smirk as she practically felt his drop. Turning back to where he was standing, still in the doorway of his bathroom, she watch Nick shrug out of his tux jacket. He tossed it to her, that look coming back to his eyes as he considered his agent. She was slipping it on the hanger when he spoke again.

"You know, you're awfully cute when you're angry, Carrots."

Scowling at him, she hung up the jacket in his closet and stormed over to the bedroom door. "Don't call me cute."

"What about tempting?"

The words made her pause before exiting. "What?" Not quite sure she heard him correctly, her ears snapped up as she looked at him again.

But Nick just laughed and shrugged. "Nothing." Without another word, he closed the bathroom door, leaving Judy staring at where he had vanished and fighting the urge to slip out of her dress and join him. It was only self preservation that had her heading back down the hall to gather her things.

Scrolling through the her contacts and selecting Big's number, she gave the bedroom a final longing glance as it rang.

Focus, Judy, she scolded….. focus….

…

Alone and surround by the fragrant steam of his bath, the fox watch in the fogged mirror as he undid his bow tie and unbuttoned his shirt.

"She will be mine," Nick said to himself, smiling at his reflection and shrugging out of his clothes. " Oh, yes… She will be all mine."

….

"My child, you ask so much of me," the old shrew smiled to himself. "Such a task would require a significant bribe to assure my guests it would be worth their while. And who knows if any would agree and then sell the footage anyway."

Big listened to the rabbit groan in frustration on the other side of the phone.

"Perhaps," he interrupted, "I could find if a way if a certain well connected agent were to get my little girl the VIP treatment to the Zootopia music festival. She and her new fiancé would be thrilled to know they'd be spending a weekend being pampered and spoiled beside their favorite artists."

Grinning again at the enthusiastic agreement and profuse 'thank yous', Big nodded and smiled at his daughter dancing with her future husband, Markus.

"Enjoy the rest of your night, Miss Hopps. And consider it done."

He hung up and snapped his fingers. Gesturing to the attentive polar bear, the larger mammal bent to receive his murmur instructions. Nodding, the bear straightened and left, lifting a paw to his ear piece to relay the orders. Big left his chair to join Fru Fru on the dance floor designed especially for her and other guests their size.

"My darling," he greeted, Fru grinning and wrapping her arms around her father. "Have you seen Miss Frost? I need to have a word with her."

"You just missed her, Daddy!" She replied, looking over to her fiancé for confirmation. Markus nodded and looked back to Big.

"She left about thirty minutes ago," he continued. "She said she had some footage to go over."

Big pinched the bridge of his nose. "Which means that video is already up on Zoo-tube and Muzzlebook, at least."

"It won't be that bad, right?" asked Fru Fru with a worried glance between Big and Markus. Markus shrugged helplessly while her father merely turned to watch the rest of the party winding down.

"We shall see," he muttered. "We shall see…"

…..

Jack was slumped at the breakfast bar inside his apartment, his arms spread out on the bar top. One paw kept his head up as he watched the video playing on the t.v. He and Wilde, rolling on the floor of the Big estate, throwing punches and trading insults.

But as embarrassing as it was, what was worse was the poll rolling on the bottom of the screen: Is Jack Savage's music misogynistic?

Forty two percent of those who took the poll thought it was; fifteen percent were unsure, and the rest said no.

All because of that stupid kiss! It had been, by far, the worse plan he had ever come up with. Skye's initial photo was only suppose to make it seem like Jack and Hopps were cozying up together. Just a little photo op to get under Wilde's fur. But paired with the video, it looked like… well, like he forced a kiss on a doe who hadn't consented.

Not that Wilde looked any better. A separate pool labeled The Fox as being overbearing and many were tweeting that it should have been expected because of his species. Photos of Wilde as a young pop star (with a new date every night) were displayed side by side the video. All of which were dissected by the shrill busy bodies yapping about the scandal the two pop stars had caused.

…..The scandal YOU caused, Jack corrected as he let his head thump onto the bar top with a groan. As if agreeing, his bruised face gave a small throb.

And he hadn't heard from Duke since they left the party. So Jack was just waiting in limbo, flinching every time his phone made a noise. The show cancelations were bound to happen any moment now.

"And so it begins," he muttered in misery when it finally did start ringing. Raising his head slightly, he gave a wince at the unknown number before answering it. "This is Jack."

"Hello, Mr. Savage," came the familiar, professional voice that had Jack frowning in surprise. "I hope I'm not catching you at a bad time. I got your number from your assistant."

"No, it's not a bad time at all, Miss Hopps," he assured, suddenly filled with nervous energy. "I was actually going to hunt down your number and call you to apologize. I'm so sor-"

"I forgive you," came Hopps' quick reply. "And that's not why I'm calling. I'm sure you've seen the news this morning."

Pacing the length of his living room, he shook his head at the t.v. "I have."

"Which means you're watching your career plummet." Feeling some of his guilt alleviate at the harsh statement, Jack rolled his eyes.

"How can I help you, Hopps?" Even he was surprised at the harsh tone of his voice.

"By meeting me and Nick at Café Remy. I've been trying to get ahold of Duke all morning, otherwise you'd be hearing from him, not me. Tell him to join us at noon."

"And why would either of us do that, Hopps? One lunch isn't going to magically fix this, nor will it make Wilde and me friends or even friendly." The buck paused as the doe sighed on the other end of the line.

"Because, I have an idea. And if you, AND THAT STUBBORN, DUMB FOX, go through with it, it could restore your image AND get your careers back on track. So met us at Café Remy at noon. And don't be late." With that, there was a click as she disconnected, leaving only the low sounds of the t.v.

His blue eyes looked down at the phone with uncertainty before looking back at the t.v. screen.

"Well," he sighed as he started calling Duke, "not a whole lot to loose at this point."

…..

"Please stop slouching."

Nick scowled at the bunny doe seated next to him, her focus on her menu as she took a sip of her water. Though he was personally impressed he was able to even give her a glare. Looking the way she did, he was amazed there was a mammal alive who could function with her around.

"And stop staring at me like that," she added with a hint of smile. Setting the menu to the side, she gave him a patient look as his ears flushed with embarrassment. "When they get here, I want you to let me do the talking."

"Why am I even here," he grumbled, looking down at his own menu. "You could have done this without me."

"Maybe," she agreed with a nod. "But it's possible Duke won't show up. And then those cameras-" he looked over to where she nodded towards; the table next to them was filled with not so subtle photographers who looked away as he did- "would have an image of me and Jack Savage on a 'date' instead of a business meeting."

Looking outraged at the idea, Nick glared down blankly at the menu in his paws. He started when she rested a paw on his arm. Looking up, he was surprised at how close she had moved.

"And this is the first step to restoring you image, Nick," Judy explained softly. "Please… trust me."

Gulping as her words and touch caused a delicious shiver to run down his spine, Nick nodded. "Ok. I trust you."

Judy smiled again, this time with warmth. Moving away, she glanced to the entrance of the restaurant and stood.

"Thank you, Slick. And please, play nice."

Nick followed her lead and stood as Jack Savage approached the table, dressed in a nice grey, v-neck sweater and black slacks. The buck gave her a polite smile, eyes widening slightly in appreciation at her stylish, well fitted purple dress. It took everything he had not to growl as Jack warmly shook Judy's paw.

"Miss Hopps," he greeted. "Twice in twenty four hours! Am I lucky or what?"

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Savage, and thank you for joining us on such short notice. Of course, you know Nick Wilde."

Both males sized each other up, mindful of the many lenses pointed their way from the table next to theirs. Nick gave Judy a look out of the corner of his eyes, repressing a sigh and eyeroll as he held out his paw. Jack didn't hesitate to accept it.

"Nick," he said, his voice only slightly bitter.

"Jack." They released each others paws after two rounds of pictures, Judy's throat clearing making both males turn to her. Smiling, the doe gestured to the chairs and sat down as a waiter came over.

"Wine, please. Pinot grigio for Mr. Savage, chardonnay for Mr. Wilde, and a rosé for myself." The impala nodded and left to fetch their drinks.

Both males blinked at her, surprised she knew what to order for them. But the doe simply folded her paws in front of her and looked to Jack.

"Is Duke joining us?"

Focusing on making sure his napkin was laying perfectly on his lap, Jack shook his head. "I left a message, but I haven't heard from him since last night."

Judy and Nick frowned at each other. "Well," she continued, looking a bit uneasy, but unsurprised at the news. "Let's begin, shall we?"

Clearing her throat, Judy reached down towards her briefcase and pulled a packet of papers from it.

"We first need to address this video," her eyes scanned the paper in her paws before separating them and passing Jack a small stack. "This is an official statement I'm going to be making in response to the video. Mr. Savage, I'm going to be going on Zoo T.V. Entertainment and say you had already apologized for you actions and I've forgiven you.

"Under my statement is a draft for a statement Nick is going to give to Skye Frost about the fight. I can get him on as early as tomorrow, but I want you to be with him."

"Why do I need to be with him?" asked Jack in confusion, looking up from his paperwork to Hopps and Wilde. Wilde's jaw was clenched, but Judy looked calm as the server placed their drinks on the table and took their orders.

"Because," she began carefully, lifting her wine glass to her nose as her menu was taken and the server walked away, "I want you two to collaborate on a project together."

Wilde rolled his eyes and gulped half of his glass down. Jack merely stared in shock at the doe who sipped her wine and waited from him to react.

"And why would I agree to do that?" he demanded. "And what makes you think Duke would agree to that?"

"Because, as much as I hate the idea, too, you and I are both on Zootopia's shit list," Wilde practically spat out the words as he took another gulp of his wine. "The only way we're going to move past this, is make the world think we kissed and made up. So just sign the damn papers, Savage."

"Nick." Judy put her paw on the todd's arm and gave it a light squeeze. Turning her tired gaze to the buck, she gave him a soft, patient smile. "A collaboration is a step towards fixing this. Neither of you came out looking very good. This lunch is the first step."

Judy smiled at the group of photographers as they snapped another round of pictures, both males following her lead just in time.

"Let the public see we're working things out," she continued. "You already apologized to me, Mr. Savage, next step is to apologize to everyone else. That's why I wanted Duke here so he can help you with your statement. But it needs to be sincere."

Jack nodded, for the first time in his short career speaking with a mammal who was making sense to him.

"But why am I apologizing? I get apologizing to you, and even… Wilde, I guess… but why to everyone else?"

"Because, there are mammals in this city who looked up to you." Blue eyes widened in surprise at Wilde's statement. "They knew who you were and what you stood for. And in the blink of an eye, they were all proven wrong. You were their hero. So now, you have to act like a hero and own up to your mistakes."

"That's a load of crap!"

The new voice startled the three of the from their conversation to the irritated weasel now standing in front of their table, his best suit on and toothpick between his teeth. Ever the professional, Judy stood and walked around to greet him.

"Duke," she started, holding out her paw, only to be snubbed by him.

"Save it, Hopps," he snarled, "and I'll thank you for not meeting with my client without me."

Her eyes flashed a warning over to Wilde, who growled and started to stand. His green eyes stayed focused on Duke as he settled back down.

"If you had your phone on then you would know I tried calling you to set up this meeting. Otherwise, you would have heard everything, not just what Mr. Savage should do to mend his part in this fiasco." Judy clasped her paws together in front of her as she waited patiently for his response.

The toothpick was pulled from his mouth and flicked at her nose, a mocking smile on Duke's muzzle. "It's his fault you're too stupid to enjoy what most of Zootopia wishes they could get? You're out of you damn mind, Hopps. Now, I'm taking my client and we're getting out of here. Let's go, Savage!"

"Duke, we can't go anywhere!" Jack argued standing up and walking to him. Stopping in front of him, the buck looked at his agent pleadingly. "Walking away right now isn't going to solve this and right now, my numbers are dropping. It's not going to hurt anything to share a meal with them and brainstorm how to come back from this."

"Huh," Jack's ears perked in hope at Duke's expression of disbelief. "Kinda sounds like you think working with them is gonna help."

Clenching his jaw, annoyance filled the buck as he crossed his arms. "Because I think it can."

"Good thing you're not in charge, then." Duke smirked before he side stepped Jack and kept walking. "Now, I said we're leaving. So let's go!"

"No."

Duke stopped in his tracks, keeping his back to the bunny. The photographers were going crazy with pictures as the restaurant fell silent. Jack just looked at Duke's back, suddenly feeling very tired. Working with him was exhausting. As much fun as he had in the beginning, the longer their partnership went on, the less the buck enjoyed it. He expected it to be difficult… but this almost made it not worth the effort.

"What did you say?" His agent's icy voice nearly had Jack backing down.

With a quick look at Hopps and Wilde, who both were looking at the weasel with equal hatred, and he knew what he had to do.

Gulping, Jack kept his ears upright and posture straight. "I said 'no'." Duke turned to glare at him. "I need this meeting, Duke. Leaving right now would be a very, VERY silly thing to do. You're fired."

"You're on a contract, Stripes! You can't fire me!" Duke spat at him.

"Then sit down and shut up for once. If you can't do that, then I don't care if I signed a contract. Our partnership is over." The pair stared at each other while the restaurant held its breath.

"You'll never work in this town again," was Duke's final words before he turned on his heel and left.

"I'm terrified," Jack muttered, shaking his head in disappointment. Seeming to realize the whole place was still watching, he looked around quickly before raising his arm and drawing it down in front of himself dramatically, closing his eyes as he did. "Aaaand, scene!"

There was light scattering of applause as everyone around them started to go about their lives. The photographers had decided to move on too, paying their tab and getting a final round of photos before leaving. Wilde was helping Hopps back into her chair as Jack rejoined them, just in time for their food to arrive.

"So," Jack started, smiling his thanks at their server. "Do either of you know where I can find a good agent?"

"I might know someone," joked Hopps, earning a smile from the buck.

"But she already has a pretty high profile client," interrupted Wilde as he dug into his meal. "Don't want to over work the poor thing, now do we."

Hopps gave him a nudge before she looked back over at Jack. "Don't worry, Mr. Savage," she assured, "I got you covered."

And for the moment, Jack was sure everything would be alright.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks again to kt_valmiri again for editing :) And thank you, everyone, for reading!

…..

Anyone who was watching Skye Frost's talk show would have thought Nick and Jack had been friends for years. The pair sat side by side, both beaming at the pretty vixen as they publicly made amends.

"You see, Skye," said Nick, leaning forward and smiling at the hostess, "after our meeting, Stripes and I realized we were more alike than we thought. And there was really much more to gain by being civil than viciously attacking each other."

Skye gave the pair an impressed look, her eyes moving from Nick to Jack. "Wow! This must be some sort of record. One moment, you two are at each other's throats. The next, you both are ready to move forward! Very impressive."

"Well, Skye," Jack grinned as the vixen met his eyes. "It's all about setting aside our pride. Nick and I have a lot we can teach other. I have a feeling Zootopia's going to be very pleasantly surprised in the next few months."

"Why, Jack!" she cooed, her tail wagging in delight. "Is that a hint? A little tease, perhaps, of a future collaboration?" She leaned towards the buck, whose own position shifted as close as his chair would allow. Nick merely watched the display with amusement and bite back the smirk threatening to spread across his muzzle.

"I would never tease, Skye," Jack quipped back to her.

There were several seconds of silence following the flirty comments, Jack and Skye simply smiling at each other. The todd sat looking between the pair of them before he cleared his throat. Snapping out of their trance, with their ears burning, both shifted in their seats.

"But that does bring us to our next topic," Skye looked down at her cards, regaining her professional demeanor. "The reaction to the video has been loud, to say the least. Several citizens of Zootopia have called for boycott of your albums. What's your response to the outcry this has caused."

Hanging their heads in shame, both males nodded.

"The admonishments have been well deserved," Jack started with a glance to Nick. "I would like to take this time to apologize for my actions. There is absolutely no excuse for what I did and I can promise I'll behave better in the future. And I would like to publicly thank Miss Hopps for forgiving me."

"And on that note, I would like to apologize to Jack for attacking him. There were several better ways for me to respond and violence should not have been one of them. I'm sorry, Jack," Nick held out a paw, smiling as the rabbit accepted it.

"Now that the air has been cleared, my sources say that you, Jack, and Weaselton Records have parted ways," the vixen looked at the buck with curiosity. "Is there any truth to the rumors?"

With a deep breath, he nodded. "They're true. Unfortunately, professional differences had me breaking my contract with my previous agent."

"Have you signed with anyone new?"

"As of now, no. Until I settle things with Weaselton Records, I will be operating as an independent. Though, once things are settled, I'll be signing with Miss Hopps."

"And your response to Weaselton's latest interview? Some of his comments were quite harsh." Skye's look was concerned as Jack and Nick both stiffened. "There's even suggestion that you've forced yourself on others."

"An accusation that's completely untrue!" Both Skye and Jack looked in amazement at Nick. The todd put a paw on Jack's shoulder. "I'll be the first to admit Jack and I didn't get along, but Weaselton is acting out of spite because he lost a high profile client. In the short time I've gotten to know him, Jack has been nothing but respectful and courteous. These accusations are baseless."

"Glad to hear it," she responded with a smile at them, before she turned back to the camera. "There you have it! Thank you so much for joining me and Zootopia's newest dynamic duo. I'm Skye Frost. Stay entertained, Zootopia!"

The lights faded as the males slumped over. Skye gave them another smile as she stood.

"Well, that was some show!" Shaking their paws, lingering a bit longer with Jack, she pulled her microphone from her shirt and set it on her chair. "I'm sorry to be rude but I need to rush to another interview in Savanna Central Park. I look forward to seeing you again."

Jack smiled after her retreating form, pulling his own microphone free before looking over at Nick.

"Thank you," he muttered, fidgeting with it. Nick gave him a bored look before rolling his eyes.

"Do you really think I'm going to let the world think Carrots is willing to represent anyone with money, regardless of their reputation?" He scoffed and passed his microphone to the sound mammal. "Over my dead body."

Squinting at the todd, Jack gave a small hum causing the fox to looked at him in curiosity.

"Is your fur always this dry and frizzy?" Jack asked as he sat back and smirked at the todd's glare.

"Do you always keep spinach between your teeth," was the response as Nick hopping off his chair and heading for the exit. Jack's mouth slammed shut, his tongue running over his teeth and ears going red. "Made you look!"

"Asshole," Jack muttered with a scowl as he walked after him.

"Pick it up, Stripes," called the fox from the the doors, "Carrots is waiting for us."

Judy had made her statement earlier, forgiving the buck before the males took their spots for their interview. Afterwards, she left for Nick's house, wanting to get Nick's studio ready for more recordings and hash out a game plan. So, Jack and Nick were forced to spend some quality time together on their way back.

Sitting in sullen silence during the drive, all pretense of being friendly fell away. They barely glanced at each other as they each left the car for Nick's front door. Their animosity seemed to grow as they stepped into the shade of the house and followed the music coming from the studio.

At the piano, Judy was playing some of the sheet music Nick had been writing, muttering to herself every now and then as she made notes and alterations. Her purple eyes looked up from her task as she grinned at the pair coming in. Though it fell as she sensed the vibe between them.

"I saw the feed," she said, not pausing the music, "and you both were great. Anyone watching would think you two are besties."

"Easy, fluff," said Nick with a pained look on his face, "I just ate."

"I can't believe there are mammals out there who think you're cool," groused Jack.

Sighing, Judy stopped playing and looked at them. "Listen, I get this is not what you were hoping for. And I get that you two will probably never see eye to eye. But that attitude won't help. You don't have to like each other. Just tolerate each other. Okay?"

Both males scowled at the floor and grumbled their agreement. Satisfied, the doe stood and walked over to them, pausing in front of Nick. Her paws reached out to his collar, straightening it before adjusting his tie. She ran them over his chest to smooth the rest of the shirt out as he obviously fought to keep his face blank. Jack smirked at the fox as she stepped back with a happy nod.

"Now," she continued, "I have Finnick coming in for the session and I want to go over some lyrics with both of you. We need to get your set list figured out; especially for you, Jack. We may not be able to use your old stuff if it was under contract with Weaselton."

Rolling his eyes, the buck took a seat on the couch. "It's not like I have much to loose. What's Duke going to do? Sue me?"

"Yes." Judy had gone to the mini fridge Nick kept by his stereo and grabbed a couple bottles of water. Both the buck and todd looked at her incredulously.

"His ego is shot," she explained passing them each one, "and he's very mad. He's probably thinking of suing me and Nick but he doesn't have a case. You, though… You broke your contract. And are 'working' for another agent. I expect him to deliver the papers any moment now."

Slumping back, Jack gave a frustrated groan. "Great! I just started my career and now it's already over… And I never even had the chance to make a sex tape…"

Nick snorted in amusement.

"Well, sorry to break up your moment of self pity," continued Judy as she checked her phone, "but I have to take this call. Try not to kill each other."

Jack gave a thumbs up without looking at her. Straightening up in his spot, his eyes fell on Nick. The fox's paw clutched his water bottle and his eyes were glued to Judy's tail. Raising his eyebrows, Jack smirked as Nick bit his fist and gave her backside a longing look. Though it vanished the moment he realized the buck was watching.

"Shut up," he growled, before taking a long swig from the bottle.

With a look of fake innocence, Jack just gave him a sweet smile. "I didn't say anything."

Unconvinced, Nick just ground his teeth and grabbed a guitar off the wall.

"She does have a great tail," Jack said, taking a sip of his water. Nick froze putting the strap over his head. "Among other things. And she's a great kisser."

"I hate you," the fox growled.

"I hate you, too."

…..

Finnick had been in the music industry longer than even Gazelle. He had thousands of accolades under his belt and, while he had experience producing, he preferred to make music. He and Nick had known each other since the red todd's first album. So he was familiar with the drum set he sat behind.

And he was unfortunately familiar with Nick's prima donna behavior.

At least he seems to have met his match, Finn thought with a grin as their rehearsal was stopped (again) by the bickering fox and rabbit.

"For the last time!" growled Nick, claws almost cutting into the wood of his guitar. "You don't go up on that note! Seriously, Stripes! Any higher and only canines will hear you!"

"Why don't you focus on playing in tune for once, fuzz tail!" Jack snapped back, baring his teeth at the fox. "I'm surprised you haven't broken any of your tacky glassware with how out of tune that hunk of junk is!"

Narrowing his eyes at him, the todd took a threatening step towards the buck.

"You wanna say that again, pip squeak?"

"Oh! Is that what the issue is?" came the retort. "You're deaf? Because that explains a lot!"

"ENOUGH!"

The angry voice had all three males jumping in surprise. Three pairs of eyes turned to Judy who was glaring at Nick and Jack from where she sat at the piano. From his seat, Finnick laughed, hunched over the drum set as he did and sticks clutched in his paws. Rolling her eyes when her glare went un-noticed by the fennec, the doe stormed over to him and grabbed him by his arm.

"This little spat between you two is completely unproductive!" she scolded, hauling Finnick up and dragging him to the door. "You both are going to work this out- TONIGHT- or I'm calling every single one of the venues and canceling both of your shows."

"Hopps-" "Carrots-" But they were both cut off as she and Finnick paused at the doorway.

"I don't want to hear it!" Releasing Finnick to look at them, she shook her head as they hung theirs. "You two need to try to get along. Your careers are on the line and everyone expects this collaboration to die before it even begins. So, Finn and I are going to pick dinner. When we get back, I expect the two of you to be ready to play and move forward."

Both males ground their teeth as they watched the pair vanish. Exchanging a glare, they looked away and crossed their arms stubbornly.

"Fat chance of that happening," muttered Nick.

"She's delusional is she thinks it will." Jack grumbled back.

"Watch it!" The rabbit's ears fell in surprise at the sharp tone of Nick's voice. "I'll eat you if you ever insult her again."

For once, Jack didn't feel the need to bait him. He considered the fox for a moment before nodding. "Okay. I won't." Looking satisfied, the fox returned his attention to the guitar around his neck. "By the way…" Nick gave him a cautious look of curiosity. "The lyrics are good… Great actually. You did a good job on them…"

Surprised, Nick flattened his ears and cleared his throat. "Oh… Thanks." Looking back down and strumming, he cleared his throat again. "You… sing them… really well… I only thought that the high note would hurt your throat. Especially after singing it over and over again. I always had trouble with them."

Jack relaxed as he gave Nick a speculative look.

"Thanks for looking out…" Nick just hummed in acknowledgment as Jack awkwardly scratched his neck. "Nick?"

"Huh?"

"I just wanted to say…." Jack took a deep breath and waited for him to pause his strumming again. "I got into the music business because of you…."

Whatever Nick had been expecting, it wasn't that. "What?"

"Yeah," Jack continued with a nod as his ears flushed with embarrassment. "I wanted to be just like you."

"Did you really?" asked Nick, dazed. Jack grinned and nodded. "Why?"

"Are you kidding me!" exclaimed Jack. "You're Mr. Fox! Half the bucks in my class got pompadours because of you! I remember my sisters and their friends watching your first music video and how they just gushed and swooned over you. You were so cool and you could have any female you wanted. And I would read all these magazine articles about the amazing things you did or bought and the gorgeous females throwing themselves at you. You were my hero! And that's why I was a-"

"Dick?" suggested the fox, grinning at the buck's eyeroll.

"I was going to say brat, but, yeah. Dick works just as well."

"I'm sorry, too." Nick stopped strumming and pulled the guitar off. "I was on the top for so long, I guess I could've handled this a lot better. Maybe show you the ropes instead of trying to hang you from them. It's just hard when a younger, more talented version of yourself starts showing you up."

"I don't know about more talented," Jack countered with a smile. "I can't play the guitar. Or any other instrument."

"But you're a hell of a dancer."

"And you're a hell of a musician."

Both males considered each other for a moment before they simultaneously held out their paws.

"I'm sorry I assaulted your agent," said Jack.

"I'm sorry I assaulted you," said Nick.

Smiling, they released paws and stood in silence for a moment, until Nick laughed.

"Well… At least Carrots will be happy about this."

Nodding, Jack went to gather up the music he had left on the floor. "I can't wait to for her to find out." Rearranging them, he gave Nick a sly look as the fox put his guitar back on. "So… When are you going to tell her?"

To his amusement, Nick played dumb. "Tell her what?"

"That you're madly in love with her."

The slamming of the front door kept him from answering, as pawsteps grew closer to the studio. Jack merely drew his fingers across his closed mouth, promising Nick he'd keep quiet. Looking relieved, the todd forced a smile as Judy and Finnick re-entered with pizza. She paused in the doorway and looked from one to the other.

"Are we good?" she asked, with a slight threat in her voice.

"Yeah," Nick smiled warmly at her before glancing at Jack. "We're good."

"Good," Jack agreed. Judy smiled and set the pizza down on the table.

"Excellent!" she said with a smile. Finnick set a smaller box down next them, along with paper plates and napkins. "I got the good pizza and even some wings for the carnivores. Take a break. I need both of you in tip top shape for the Concert in the Park."

Jack accepted the plate with pizza from Judy, giving her a confused look as he did. "I'm not performing in that. Duke said unpaid gigs weren't worth the effort. I missed the registration date."

"I got you in," explained Judy as she took a huge bite of her food. Shrugging as she chewed, she turned to sit on the couch. "It may be a free gig, but it'll be great publicity. And an even better follow up from the apology. A little humility goes a long way. But-" Jack and Nick paused their chewing to look at her triumphant grin. "That's not even the biggest news! Care to do the honors, Finn?"

With a grin of his own, the smaller fox swallowed. "We're playing with Gazelle at the Zootopia Coliseum."

"No way!" exclaimed Nick, nearly choking on his bite. "Seriously?"

His green eyes looked to Judy, whose smile softened on him. "Seriously. I was talking with her mammals all day. I let her know what was going on with Jack and Duke, and she jumped at the chance to perform with you two. We do a set rehearsal with her posse in three days." There was a loud pop, everyone looking to Finnick holding a previously unnoticed bottle of champagne, it's cork undone. "To new beginnings, guys!"

Glasses were filled and clinked together. "To new beginnings!"

Laughing, eating, and sipping, none of them were expecting the door bell to ring.

"I'll get it," Jack insisted with a grin, paw going to push Nick back down onto the couch next to Judy. The fox gave her a nervous smile, which she returned, as he landed close to her. Bouncing away and sipping from his flute, the buck felt lighter than air.

There were a few hiccups, but he and the famous Mr. Fox were on their way to being friends, he had a talented sort-of manager who nabbed him a big gig, and there was a hot female who was definitely into him.

Life is good, he thought as he pulled open the front door.

"Can I help you?" he asked the mammal in the Fed-OX uniform.

The aardvark looked up from his clipboard and smiled. "Jack Savage?"

"That's me," Jack confirmed, accepting the envelope from the other male.

"You're being sued for breach of contract by Weaselton Records," the aardvark explained. "You've been served."

Mouth dropping open, the rabbit watched the other mammal turn and walk away.

"Harsh."

Jumping, Jack turned to look at the fennec in tired surprise.

"But not surprising." He looked down at the summons in his paws.

"We're going to fight this, Jack," came Judy's reassurance. "Together."

Smiling at her and Nick who came up behind her, he shook his head. "I don't see how I can win this one, guys. Duke has this in the bag."

Nick and Finnick exchanged a smirk.

"Yeah," Nick said putting his arm around Jack, "I wouldn't worry about him, Stripes. It's Duke. Like he's never done anything nefarious in his life." Leading the buck back to the studio, the red todd grinned. "So don't stress, sport."

"Sport?" Jack grinned up at him as Judy laughed behind her paw. "Gods, you're old."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: As always, thank you to my wonderful editor, kt_valmiri, for her insight and guidance. This is it! The final chapter of Pop. Just a little detour to recalibrate for more Perks and Idol, both of which are on the way. Thank you again to everyone who reads and comments. I hope you enjoy and I hope the wait was worth it!

…

Duke came from a long line of moguls.

His father had started Weaselton Records around the same time Vincent Big was building his own empire. And the company was always one step behind the shrew. Byron Weaselton, Duke's father, took it personally. His cold, bitter attitude rubbed off on his son and, long after Byron was gone, was really the only driving force behind the company.

While Weaselton Records was well respected, those that signed with Duke shared Jack's feelings about their contracts. But, the weasel had enough influence to keep his artists renewing their terms. That, and their fear of his retribution kept many of them in line.

"The key to it," Byron explained to his son not long after he'd graduated college, "is to sign the starry-eyed ones. The ones who are new to the city and so dazzled by everything that they don't bother reading the fine print."

It was advice Duke kept close. And just as it helped get that damn rabbit to sign with him, it would help destroy that dumb bunny for thinking he could break out of it.

"If that little punk thinks he can hide behind his new friends, he's got another thing coming!" he snarled into his phone. He had been on the phone with his lawyer all day. "I don't want that little jerk to be able to get a job as a bathroom attendant in this city. I OWN this town and I want him GONE!"

With a final growl, he disconnected, wishing land lines were still a thing. Slamming a phone down was so much more satisfying back in the day. Turning to the young starlet in the room, singing at the piano, he scowled at her.

"Come on toots," he snarled at her, causing her pretty eyes to widen in fear,

"if you're not gonna play good, then quit wastin' my time. I'm adding an extra hour to your gym time for that. No sense being untalented and ugly."

Teary eyed, the young raccoon watched him storm out as a fennec fox dressed in custodial gear entered. Sniffling and looking down at the piano keys, she continued to play, with a notable lack of her previous enthusiasm, as he started to clean the room.

"Does he always treat you like that?" The gruff whisper had her starting and looking over at the fennec. His big brown eyes watched her carefully, filled with concern. He frowned when she nodded. "What about the other mammals he represents?"

"I don't think there's anyone that really likes him," she muttered, looking at the doorway, half expecting Duke to come barreling in. "But what are we going to do? He's already starting to smear Jack Savage's reputation." She shook her head and looked back down at the piano. "I never should have signed with him…"

"What if I told you there's a way to turn this around? Would you help?"

Looking up at him, her tears dried as she studied his earnest face. "What did you have in mind?"

…

ONE WEEK LATER

Duke kicked his feet up on his desk, taking a pull from his cigar. Life was good for the weasel. He had an article ready to launch against Savage, there was a judge ready to hear the case against him, one of his other clients was up for a teen choice whatever award, and he had a date with a sexy dancer he had been eyeing for a while.

Yup. Life was good.

Though it got a bit worse at the sound of his office door opening. Looking over to it, he rolled his eyes at the sight of Judy Hopps. Had she been in any other profession, he would have turned the charm on her. But considering she was the reason why his best meal ticket left him, Duke wasn't feeling very welcoming.

"Can I help you, cotton tail?" he asked rudely, not bothering to straighten himself up. She was in his office, after all! Screw her and Wilde.

But she wasn't put off by him, whatsoever. With a smirk on her muzzle, she strode from the doorway to the chair across from his desk. Sitting down and leaning back, one shapely leg crossed over the other as she continued to smirk at Duke.

"Do you know why I'm here?" she asked sweetly.

Taking a puff from his cigar and blowing the smoke into her face, he gave an indifferent shrug.

"Other than to prove I need to fire my receptionist? I don't know or care." Another drag was taken, but still the bunny didn't flinch. "I'm guessing to ask me to back off Savage. Maybe agree to cancel his contract and settle his debt with me before we both move on."

With an impressed nod, Hopps pulled her briefcase into her lap. "So close. But you're really only half right."

"And you really need to fuck right off, Hippity Hopps," he growled, narrowing his eyes at her. "That little rodent thinks he can just walk out and cheat me, he's got another thing comin'! And if you think a cute, little bunny like you is going to 'scare' me into folding, you're even dumber than you look!"

"Oh, I know you're not scared of me, Duke," the case was popped open. "But if I were you, I'd be scared of these."

Some papers were pulled out and slid across the polished desk top towards him. He eyed her suspiciously before lowering his feet to take a look. Pictures… Lots and lots of pictures…

"W-what is this?" he asked, as his paws moved through them.

There were pictures of him placing bets at an illegal fight, pictures of him purchasing some… very questionable company and illicit merchandise. Pictures and receipts of him using company funds for personal needs. All under a stack of notarized and witnessed statements from over three quarters of his clients.

"It's called leverage, sweetheart," Hopps answered, leaning back in her chair again.

Looking up at her with a growl, he picked up a pawful of the pictures and started to tear them up. Only to pause at the giggle that escaped Hopps.

"Do you really think those are the only copies?" she asked incredulously. "Who do you take me for?"

Teeth still bared, his breath coming in panicked gasps, he glared at the doe. "Name your price."

"I can't be bought, Duke." Her voice grew hard as her eyes narrowed. "But I can be negotiated with. Under the statements are a list of names. Those are the employees you're going to fire. And you're going to replace them with mammals who actually have your clients' best interests at heart. But before that, you're going to drop the case against Jack and release a statement retracting your previous claims. All of this is going to happen by no later than tomorrow afternoon. None of your clients will be working or performing until they have fair representation.

"If you don't, I know a reporter whose very eager to exonerate Jack of everything. Not to mention, there's another mogul who'll be happy to help you get raked over the coals if this ever gets published."

Standing again, Hopps gave him an almost friendly smile. "And if you ever try to pull this stunt again or think you can retaliate," she put her paws on his desk and gave him a look that sent chills down his spine, "I will END you."

Leaving him gulping in his chair, she turned to leave the office.

"Take care, Duke!"

Looking back at the papers on his desk, he pulled the list of names to the top of the stack. Disgruntled at the turn of events, Duke Weaselton started to make the necessary calls, impressed despite himself.

"I knew I should have hired her," he grumbled.

…

No one in BunnyBurrow had thought she was going to make it. Her parents had done their best discourage her; everyone else had followed their lead. And a small part of her wasn't sure that she would even go anywhere with her career, especially after deciding she wanted to operate solo.

But if there was one thing that could be said about Judy Hopps, it's that she was determined. Leaving Duke's office, she could help but feel empowered. She hadn't felt empowered since Nick hired her as his agent. No, she had been feeling a lot of other things that could complicate their… relationship.

Even after their rocky start, he was still just as sexy as he'd ever been. And somehow, even more so now. The smirk that had made her swoon as a teen was nothing compared to his smile whenever he received good news. Nick was suave and sophisticated, but his laughter was not, coming out in snorts and squeaks if he was trying to contain himself and deafening when something really got him going. And him laughing never failed to set her off, too.

The times she spent with him, seeing his nervous vulnerability, his passionate outrage, his tender care, and his love for his profession…

Judy was way in over her head. To say she was in love with him was an understatement. Nick Wilde had her mind, body, and soul. And it was in everyone's best interest to ignore that fact and act like he didn't. It's what he would need.

Nick was just getting his career back on track. In the next few weeks, he and Jack would be pulled in so many directions, each one having enough company to make the todd forget about her in every sense but a professional one. All Judy needed to do was solider on and pretend…

Her phone cut through her thoughts. Smiling down at the todd's picture, she swiped to answer. "Perfect timing! I'm on my way to the venue now."

"Excellent!" She could practically see his grin, the image making her heart beat faster. "How did it go with Weaselton?"

"Jack's off the hook. I have a contract in my briefcase ready for him when he is."

On the other end of the line, Nick sighed. "You're really gonna sign him, huh?"

"Yes, Nick. I'm really going to sign him."

"Fine," he whined. "But between you and me, I think you should just focus on your good client."

"Once I sign him, I can." She laughed at his snort.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Carrots." For a moment, they both went silent. "What's your ETA?"

"About twenty minutes or so. I have an errand to run, but I'll be there for sound check." Maybe it was wishful thinking that he gave a low disappointed groan. "I'll see you soon, Slick."

"See you soon, Carrots."

Ending the call, she looked down at the phone in her paw. His picture was still on the screen, a screen shot from the set of their first music video together.

"Just breathe," she muttered as her car maneuvered through the city.

…

Jack and Gazelle were having a ball. The clock was ticking closer to the start of Jack's first major performance and Gazelle was doing a great job at distracting him from his nerves. The pair of them were moving in sync with her back up dancers, the tigers deciding to test run their new outfits. The sparkly, skimpy shorts had the buck wondering if he could pull them off.

But while he and Gazelle warmed up their voices and polished their moves, Nick merely sat on his stool, tuning his guitar. It wasn't his favorite out of his collection, but it went with the ambience of the stage. And funnily enough, it wasn't nerves that kept him reserved.

After tonight, he would be welcomed back into the fold. He, Nick Wilde; Mr. Fox… The fox. Whatever name he came up with, the todd was back. And better than ever. His bank account was going to triple and the invites would cascade in.

Yet the thought of going back to that lifestyle made him feel very, very tired. All he wanted was-

"Judy!" Gazelle's voice had him springing to his feet, the guitar barely saved from crashing to the stage by the strap around his neck.

Everyone else crowded around the bunny doe, blocking her from view. Setting the guitar aside, Nick moved to join them. Pushing through Gazelle's tigers, he nearly stumbled into her, Judy laughing as she kept him from falling.

"Easy there, Slick," she joked as he steadied himself. "No need to fall for little ol' me."

Meeting her eyes as he straightened up, Nick smiled back. "Welcome to the party, Carrots. We missed you."

Smiling back, her cheeks blushed slightly. "I missed you too." They held each other's gaze for another second before she turned away, her ears folded down her back. "Jack, I have your contract. If you want to read it over with your lawyer, I have it in my briefcase."

Disappointment and jealousy filled him as she made her way to the buck. Jack's ears perked toward her as she passed the paperwork over to him. The emotions ravaged his heart as they exchanged hugs and laughed together. But he reeled them in when she looked back over at Nick and smiled.

Everyone dispersed, Jack going to put the contract away as Gazelle and her dancers went over their steps again.

Nick walked back to his stool. Realizing Judy had followed him, he forced a smile as he looked down at her.

"I have something for you," she said almost shyly. It was then he noticed the case she carried. "It's kind of a thank you, for going through all this." Lifting to rest it on the stool, she stepped back to let him to open it.

"Carrots," he whispered, running a paw over the hard plastic. The clasps were flipped open and the lid lifted, the fox giving a soft gasp at the case's contents.

A guitar sat in the rich black velvet, it's body a deep, glossy purple. The neck was a sleek ebony with the rosewood fretboard polished to perfection. Nick stared down at the instrument in disbelief. A trembling paw reached out to stroke it, landing gently on one of its knobs.

Looking back to Judy, his eyes widened as she held out a carrot shaped pick.

"In case you need something to strum with," she said with a smile.

Accepting the pick, his muzzle broke into a grin. Taking the strap from his old guitar and affixing it to the new one, Nick lifted it from the case and slipped it on to his shoulders. Judy closed the case and pulled it off the stool.

Nick was at a loss for words. "Why-"

"Because you deserve it," she answered. "I noticed that you seemed to like this designer a lot, but you don't have any of his work. And, to remind you that no matter what…" they met eyes again, his heart melting at the thought of her noticing such a small detail about him.

"We're always going to be friends, Nick." His mouth parted slightly as the words hit him. Friends. "Won't we?"

There was a time when Nick would have mocked such a childish question. Maybe even have mocked her. But now, as he looked at the only mammal who ever saw him for HIM…

"Always and forever, Carrots."

…

It was like he was home again. The lights flashing across the stage, the backup dancers moving to the steps he had helped choreograph, and the words he had helped write sung into the microphone attached to his head. Only this time, it wasn't just him the crowds were going wild for. And there was the weight of his guitar across his front, his fingers pleasantly sore from strumming.

Nick grinned at the audience, eyes moving to Jack and Gazelle as they danced in time with the tiger dancers. The buck grinned back as Gazelle sang her solo, moving to the front of the stage to sing to the lucky mammals in the front row. Feeling more complete than he had ever been (even at the height of his popularity), the todd looked back at the audience.

More specifically, to the pretty bunny doe dancing her heart out to the music.

Judy's eyes were closed as she jumped and swayed to the beat, enjoying what she helped create. Watching her made Nick's heartbeat pick up so fast he was half afraid it would stop. But when she opened her eyes and found his own with a smile on her face, everything began to fade away again. Quite literally.

Nick had stopped playing.

The tiger dancers were the first to notice. Exchanging looks, the quartet's movements became hesitant as they looked at the fox. Finnick let his paws come to stop, his drumsticks dangling from them as he looked first from the tigers then to Nick. That got Jack and Gazelle's attention, both of them gazing at Nick with naked worry in their eyes.

Cheers were exchanged for confused murmurs as the audience grew quiet. Every mammal in the theater watched as Nick stood still with his eyes locked on Judy. Judy herself had stopped dancing to look back at him.

"I can't," whispered Nick, shaking his head. Judy's ears fell down her back as her eyes widened in confusion. "I can't just be your friend, Judy… I can't…"

Mouths dropped as everyone's eyes shifted to the now spotlighted bunny doe. Her eyes moved over the crowed in confusion, before looking back to Nick who was pulling off his guitar.

"I can't stop thinking about you," he continued, holding the instrument by its neck and stepping closer to the stage edge. "Every morning I wake up, I count the seconds until I get to see you. I watch my phone, waiting for you to text or call me. Whenever you leave the room, I miss you like crazy and every time you come back… It's like seeing the sun rise for the first time.

"You're so annoyingly happy, so frustratingly optimistic, and so breathtakingly beautiful. Inside and out. You're the most beautiful mammal I've ever met in my life. You believe in me and challenge me to be better. You make me want to be better."

Nick smiled as Jack stepped forward to take the guitar from him, freeing the todd to jump from the stage to floor. The crowd parted as he walked towards Judy, her paws covering her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm in love with you." Nick stopped in front of her, his own gaze tender and a bit watery. "And the only thing I want out of life is to spend the rest of it with you by my side."

The audience gasped as he dropped to one knee, his paws over his heart. "I'm so ridiculously in love with you. You make my life so much brighter and happier. And if you say yes, I will spend the rest of my existence worshipping the ground you walk on. Judy Hopps… Carrots… Will you marry me?"

There was complete silence in the theater.

Jack clutched the neck of the guitar, his eyes wide and grin stretched ear to ear. Finnick and Gazelle both held their breath with tears in their eyes, though the fennec would vehemently deny it ever after. The tiger dancers gripped paws as the audience took a collective breath.

Judy covered her face with her paws, body trembling, and shook her head. Nick felt his heart sink as she lowered her paws. Only to feel it soar again as her smile was revealed. Inhaling a breath to stem the flow of happy tears, she jumped into his arms, her own wrapping around his neck. The microphone caught her tear filled "Yes" before her nose was buried into his neck fur.

As one, the theater erupted into cheers. Jack gave a mighty leap of joy, lifting the guitar over his head in victory. Gazelle, Finnick, and the tigers exchanged hugs and laughs as the music started back up again. Now jubilant, the audience clapped and danced around as the two singers started the show back up.

But Nick and Judy were deaf to everyone and everything as the AV mammals, thankfully, cut power to Nick's mic. They were lost in their own little world. Lips connected, Nick's paw moving to her jaw while the other pulled her in close. Separating only to whisper words of love and devotion, they let the world fall away.

…

"Make sure to emphasize the romance! This is going to be the engagement of the year. I want Zootopia to be talking about this every time someone even mentions the word soulmate. And it needs a snappy name to go with it!" Skye paced the floor of her office, various pictures from last night's concert spread across her desk, Nick and Judy's love eternalized in black and white. "Something catchy and playful, yet everlasting… Ideas?"

She turned to the polar bear sitting at her desk, taking notes. He had paused to watch her stress over the article's production, only to smile when she looked over at him.

"WildeHopps?" he suggested with a shrug.

Skye froze and blinked. Furrowing her brow, she pointed to him almost accusingly, causing his eyes to widen in alarm.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "Yes, that's perfect! WildeHopps. It's fun, it's fitting, it's catchy, and just saying it sparks joy. Perfect! Thank you, Kulkum!"

With a smile and nod, the bear looked down at his notes as Skye went back to the desk to examine the pictures. "Now, which ones to use? They're so photogenic, it's hard to choose just a few. What do you think-"

A gentle knock interrupted her, causing the pair of them to look towards the door. And to Skye's surprise, Jack stood in the doorway, smiling shyly with a bouquet of sunflowers in his paws.

"Hi," he greeted with a wave, cautiously stepping into the office. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important."

"No," assured the vixen breathlessly. Turning to her companion, she gave him an apologetic smile. "Kulkum, mind giving us a minute?"

With another smile and shrug, the bear stood and saluted before heading to the door. Closing it behind him, he smirked to himself.

"SavageFrost," he muttered as he walked down the hallway. "I like it."

Inside Skye's office, Jack moved to stand by her desk, looking curiously down at the photos.

"Big project?" he asked.

"Nick Wilde kinda upped the ante with his proposal," she explained. "Now we're trying to beat everyone else with the story."

"So, time is of the essence?" Her heart fluttered as he looked from the desk to her, those big blues eyes seeming to cut through her with their intensity. "Meaning, there's no way I can lure you away for an innocent drink? Followed by dinner?"

Smiling back, she stepped closer to him and crossed her arms.

"How innocent are we talking about, Mr. Savage?" Her smile grew as he held the flowers out to her. Taking them in her paws, she buried her nose into them and sighed.

"As innocent as you would like it to be, Miss Frost. It's just a drink and a nice meal. And if we happen to make the front page tomorrow and start rumors that we're dating?" He shrugged and shoved his paws into his pockets. "Then so be it. What do you say?"

Delaying her response, Skye turned to walk over to the wet bar in her office. Filling a vase with water, taking her time walking back to her desk and carefully arranging them on it, she smiled down at the flowers before looking back at him.

"Well, Kulkum's already got the story written," she moved her paws from the vase to slide them over Jack's shoulders. "And the photos we have are all going to work for the article."

Letting his own paws go to her waist, Jack's heart skipped a beat in anticipation.

"So… Is that a yes, Miss Frost?"

And that's when she struck. Her lips caught his, softly at first to keep her sharp teeth from hurting him. But the tightening of his arms around her had them deepening their embrace quickly. After several minutes that felt like seconds, they pulled apart, panting and grinning as they met eyes.

"You bet your ass it is," she whispered before kissing him again.

…

A/N: And last but not least, thank you to Kulkum for letting his Zoosona pop in for a bit.


End file.
